Meilichius wukong, Wang & Tomaszewska, 2025

Meilichius wukong sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 )

Type material. Holotype: ♂ ( MYNU), CHINA , Guangxi: Laibin City, Jinxiu County, Changdong Township [K垌 乡], near Guitian Village [IJHñmū], 26.IX.2024, Chun-Fu Feng [冯ǝDz] leg . Paratypes: 3♂♂ 2♀♀ ( MYNU), same data as holotype except 27.VII.2025 .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the name of “Sun Wukong [ĸaeĭ]”, also known as the Monkey King, one of the most rebellious mythological figures in Chinese myths and legends. The name is a noun in apposition.

Description. Male, holotype ( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 ; 2A, B, D, H View FIGURE 2 ; 3A View FIGURE 3 ; 4A, B, E–G View FIGURE 4 ; 5A–D View FIGURE 5 ). Measurements. Body length 4.7 mm, height 2.2 mm, widest at anterior 1/3 of elytra, 1.3 times as long as wide, 2.1 times as long as high. Lengths of body parts (mm): antenna (2.6), pronotum (0.8), elytra (3.7); width: head (1.0), pronotum (2.1), humeri (2.3), elytra (3.6).

Habitus ( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 , 2A, B, D View FIGURE 2 ). Body oval, strongly convex dorsally, smooth and shiny. Body color mainly reddish brown; eyes black; mouthparts (except mandibles), lateral margins of pronotum and elytra, and tarsi more or less yellowish; mandibles, apical parts of antennae, prosternal process, anterior and posterior parts of elytra, apices of femora, and tibiae more or less blackish. Each elytron with three yellowish maculae: anterior one largest, composed of two connected round oval spots, close to lateral margin of elytron; posterior two rounded, separate but parallel, outer one smaller, distant from lateral margin of elytron, inner spot distant from elytral suture.

Head largely hidden beneath pronotum, half as wide as pronotum. Clypeus wider than long, straight at anterior margin. Frons slightly concave in center, rather densely covered with small, shallow punctae; interstices smooth and with micro reticulations. Eyes reniform. Interocular distance about 0.2 time as much as pronotal width. Antennae ( Fig. 2H View FIGURE 2 ) composed of 11 antennomeres, long, 1.2 times as long as pronotal width, reaching about anterior 2/5 of elytra when positioned backwards. Antennomeres with length ratio from scape to antennomere 11 as follows: 2.3: 1.0: 2.0: 1.6: 1.6: 1.4: 1.4: 1.4: 1.7: 1.6: 2.8. All antennomeres longer than wide except pedicel; scape weakly dilated, about 1.7 times as long as wide; pedicel subquadrate, shortest; antennomere 3 longer than antennomere 4, 2.1 times as long as wide; antennomere 4 and 5 equal in length; antennomeres 6–8 equal in length; club feebly articulated, about 1/3 of antennal length; antennomeres 11 oblong, moderately flattened, largest, obliquely truncate at apex. Maxilla with terminal palpomere slightly longer than wide, obliquely truncate at apex.

Pronotum subtrapezoidal, 2.8 times as wide as long, widest before posterior angles. Anterior margin widely, deeply and roundly emarginate; anterior angles narrowly rounded, projecting; lateral margins arcuately convergent anteriorly; posterior angles obtuse, not projecting; posterior margin gently emarginate at both sides and weakly protruded in median part; anterolateral and lateral margins very narrowly marginated. Dorsum hardly convex and weakly impressed along lateral margins, densely covered with small, shallow punctae, except impunctate area along mid-line; interstices smooth and with micro reticulations. Basal sulcus distinct in lateral parts. Lateral sulci distinct but rather short. Scutellar shield linguiform, wider than long, rounded at apex; surface smooth, only with several minute punctae. Prosternum with broad prosternal process, its width between coxae about 1.6 times as wide as maximum procoxal diameter; process sides marginated, weakly incurved, widening behind procoxae, and rounded at apex. Mesoventrite impunctate; mesoventral process slightly wider than the procoxal distance and about 2.2 times wider than mesocoxal diameter. Metaventrite more than twice wider than long, densely covered with relatively large, shallow punctae. Elytra subelliptical, 1.1 times as long as wide, widest at anterior 1/3, 5.0 times as long as and 1.7 times as wide as pronotum. Anterior angles rounded; lateral margins narrowly flattened, arcuately convergent to separately acutely rounded apices. Humeri moderately prominent, base of elytra slightly wider than base of pronotum. Dorsum strongly convex, with punctae similar in size to that of pronotum, but sparser; interstices smooth and with micro wrinkles.

Abdomen ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ) with five freely articulated ventrites; arcuately convergent from ventrite 1 towards apex. Ventrites densely covered with small, shallow punctae; ventrite 1 ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ) narrowly bordered and with broad intercoxal process; ventrite 5 ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ) rounded at posterior margin; sternite VIII ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ) transverse, deeply and roundly excavated at middle of posterior margin; tergite VIII ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ) semicircle, rounded at posterior margin; male genital segment ( Fig. 4E–G View FIGURE 4 ) well sclerotized with broadly rounded subgenital plate at anteroventral margin, sternite

IX narrow, truncate and setose apically, tergite IX divided in two laterotergites connected by narrow membrane, proctiger (tergite X) widely rounded at its apex.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 5A–D View FIGURE 5 ). Penis (median lobe) long, thin, moderately curved with large, elongate membranous gonopore subapically; basal half moderately curled; apical half straight in lateral view; apex turning to right in dorsal view. Tegmen located around apical 3/7, with tegminal plate short, somewhat M-shaped in outer view, tegminal strut large, long, flattened and weakly sclerotized, reaching near base of median lobe.

Male, paratypes ( Figs 2C View FIGURE 2 ; 5E View FIGURE 5 ). Measurements (n=2). Body length 4.6–4.7 mm, height 2.2– 2.2 mm, widest at anterior 1/3 of elytra, 1.3–1.4 times as long as wide, 2.1 times as long as high. Lengths of body parts (mm): head (1.0–1.0), antenna (2.5–2.6), pronotum (0.7–0.8), elytra (3.6–3.7); width: pronotum (2.1–2.1), humeri (2.1–2.3), elytra (3.3–3.6).

All male type specimens exhibit no appreciable variation, with the exception of a single male paratype ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ), whose anterior yellowish macula is divided into two subrounded spots.

Female ( Figs 2E–G View FIGURE 2 ; 3B View FIGURE 3 ; 4C, D View FIGURE 4 ; 5F View FIGURE 5 ). Measurements (n=1). Body length 5.2 mm, height 2.4 mm, widest at anterior 2/7 of elytra, 1.4 times as long as wide, 2.2 times as long as high. Lengths of body parts (mm): head (1.0), antenna (2.5), pronotum (0.8), elytra (3.9); width: pronotum (2.2), humeri (2.5), elytra (3.7).

The female is similar to male in appearance but with elytra somewhat more elongate (vs shorter and more oval in male) ( Fig. 2E–G View FIGURE 2 ); abdominal ventrite 5 ( Fig. 3B View FIGURE 3 ) and tergite VIII ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ) are also similar in both sexes. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 4C View FIGURE 4 ) transverse, with posterior margin rounded, without excavation. Female genitalia as shown in Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ; coxites separated and with distinct, setose styli; spermatheca large, oval, membranous; accessory gland pyriform, sclerotized; sperm duct comparatively long, slender, attached to a broad connection between spermatheca and accessory gland.

Distribution. China ( Guangxi).

Differential diagnosis. Meilichius wukong sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from the three other Chinese species of Meilichius by its elytral coloration: in M. wukong sp. nov., the elytra are reddish brown, each elytron bearing three or four yellowish maculae; in M. klapperichi , the elytra are yellowish brown, each elytron with a single black macula; in M. erotyloides , the elytra are black, each elytron with two yellow maculae; and in M. multimaculatus , the elytra are yellowish brown, each elytron with five to seven complex black maculae.

This new species is most similar to M. ornatus Arrow, 1920 ( Fig. 6A–E View FIGURE 6 ) from Laos, both in appearance and geographically; however, it can be distinguished from the latter by the following characters (those of M. ornatus are given in brackets): each elytron with three or four small maculae (two large maculae); anterior macula distant from anterior margin of elytron (almost reaching anterior margin); median lobe with basal half moderately curled (strongly curled) and apical half straight in lateral view (gently curved).